The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), Office of Justice Programs, within the U.S. Department of Justice is pleased to announce the 13th National Indian Nations Conference: Justice for Victims of Crime. The Conference will be held December 6 — 8, 2012, on the reservation of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, California, with the theme, “Strength from Within: Rekindling Tribal Traditions to assist Victims of Crime.” This year's conference is coordinated again by the Tribal Law and Policy Institute under a grant from OVC.The purpose of the 13th National Indian Nations Conference — the largest U.S. Department of Justice sponsored Indian Nations conference — is to bring together Native American victims, victim advocates, tribal leaders, victim service providers, community volunteers, prosecutors, judicial and law enforcement personnel, family violence and sexual assault specialists, medical providers, social services and mental health personnel, probation/corrections, criminal justice and juvenile justice personnel, as well as federal and state agency representatives to share their knowledge, experiences and ideas for developing programs that serve the unique needs of crime victims in Indian Country.This year's conference goals are:

Honoring the Wisdom of the Past - Understanding historical trauma as a way to heal; enlisting tribal elders as keepers of our tribal histories; and embracing traditional teachings.

Honoring and Listening to Victim/Survivor Voices - Creating victim-centered/sensitive responses; being inclusive of victim/survivors - particularly those from un-served, underserved, and other populations - to achieve safety, justice and healing; and promoting peer to peer learning opportunities.

Promoting Safety, Justice and Healing - Justice for victims; justice for all; understanding the various jurisdictional issues particularly those in Public Law 280 states; exercising tribal sovereignty to promote safety and justice for victims; highlighting the resiliency of spirituality and healing in tribal communities; addressing child sexual abuse and education on developing sexual assault programs for victims of child sexual abuse in tribal communities; and including a special emphasis on crime victims within the juvenile justice system and strong support for keeping youth within the community.

Supporting and Educating Tribal Leaders - Educating and supporting efforts of tribal leaders to achieve accountability and responsibility to victims of crime.

Working in Harmony - Building the partnerships with federal agencies; Education on the importance of networking and working together in collaboration to strengthen services such as partnering with technology experts; and networking with Native men to address domestic violence and sexual assault.

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